Every August, Tunisia sings the praises of Women. This year again, in a modest yet self-satisfied ritual, officials celebrated the admirable emancipation of women, treating it as inseparable from Tunisian culture itself — all while reminding us of the efforts still owed by society and the State to mothers, sisters, daughters, fellow citizens, and colleagues.
On August 13th, Is Tunisia Really Celebrating Women?
As is often the case in life, questions of money are touchy. So inheritance rights seemed like the crowning achievement still missing for women in 2019! Yet civil society figures had already questioned, even bristled at, the fact that among the women decorated with the insignia of the Republic, many deserving women and national icons were conspicuously absent — women who would not only have appreciated the recognition, but who could also have served as beacons for female minds in need of role models.
A Revealing Electoral Context
The national celebration coincided with the filing of presidential candidacies, which themselves followed the legislative elections. In a country founded by a woman — at least in the popular imagination and in the history books that partly shape the field of what is possible and what stands in the way — only 2 candidates out of 26 (7.7%) remained to perhaps succeed the famous Queen Dido. Only two women breathed in enough of the jasmine and revolutionary freedom to rise above the fray and put forward their vision, their boldness, or their political rebellion.
Women, and the Numbers That Don't Lie
Only two candidates to lead a Republic that is nonetheless made up of as many women as men (50%). Two candidates for a nation that, since 2011, to illustrate the equality enshrined in its constitution — or to show its respect — has made women equal to a mere 15 ministers out of 146 (10.3%), managing 4.6% of the total budget. The list of candidates topping the legislative slates rounds off this admirable triumph of a few stardust specks, barely richer by a handful of units in an ocean of patriarchal masculinity and lingering echoes of men's domination over women.
A Feminism in Need of Reactivating
It is well established that feminism suffers above all from self-censorship and a lack of confidence in reaching for its dreams and building its own life. Yet sociological and economic studies clearly show that women are a driving force for success and collective intelligence. And still, the place owed to them will have to be wrested away through fierce struggle, strong mobilization, and sharp intelligence. Because in Tunisia, the condition of women is, above all, a fantasy!
A Personal Experience: From Image to Reality
I was not born in Tunisia, and I did not grow up there.
I arrived here by chance, through two encounters that turned my life upside down. But that is another story. The essential point is that, having heard so many wonderful things about the emancipation and rights of Bourguiba-era women, I held an expectation equal to modernity and social liberation.
I admit my naivety… and how little I actually knew of Tunisian women before settling in Tunis in 2013.
“WE CANNOT ALL SUCCEED WHEN HALF OF US ARE HELD BACK.” – MALALA YOUSAFZAI
Perception and Reality: A Gap That Doesn't Forgive
The situation of women is out of step with common perception. To see this clearly, let's look at the World Economic Forum's barometer, which offers an objective and comprehensive overview of women's status worldwide. It distinguishes four dimensions: access to education, access to health, economic participation, and political inclusion. According to this barometer, Tunisia ranks 119th out of the 149 countries analyzed in 2018, with a gender gap of roughly 35%.
Far from the prevailing self-satisfaction, these numbers point to a dismal performance. They place Tunisia among the laggards of today's civilization, offering its women only a poor substitute for emancipation. To echo the study's conclusions, Tunisia is narrowing the overall gap — but the gaps in wages and life expectancy keep widening.
Alarming Numbers and Little Recognition
Tunisian women thus rank 127th in access to managerial positions, and 133rd out of 149 countries in terms of wage earnings. This is all the more troubling given that women make up only 27.1% of the active workforce — a fact that undermines the socio-cultural narrative of their emancipation. Paradoxically, women's very poor participation in political life does not put Tunisia at much of a disadvantage internationally, since few countries do much better elsewhere. But rest assured: only by demanding perfect equality on electoral lists and within political leadership will we one day see a woman hold one of the nation's sovereign offices.
A Stalled Revolution
Lastly, Tunisia can legitimately lay claim to a place of distinction within the Arab world. But it barely does better than Algeria or Egypt, nations that, for their part, do not flood their societies with self-congratulatory rhetoric, nor with propaganda that blocks reform and prevents social problems from being addressed. The Arab world ranks dead last in these rankings; its socio-political rigidity forces it to oppress rather than to liberate. So while Bourguiba's work was undoubtedly revolutionary in its day, it soon stalled. Today the country wallows in past glory and a hollow discourse.
The Real Work Ahead
Credit must certainly be given for the efforts made and the progress achieved, in education, health, or in confronting violence so deeply rooted in the culture. But I don't believe we should revel in gaping shortfalls in the economic, political, and cultural spheres. Tunisia may not be destined to catch up with the Scandinavian countries within the next decade. But there is no reason Ghana, Nicaragua, or Cameroon should, by comparison, offer their women more wonderful opportunities than the shores of Carthage do. Among the priorities ahead: greater participation in the workforce, equal pay, and the advancement of women into positions of economic and political leadership. You will get there!
Kaïs Djelassi is an executive, strategist, economist, and political activist.
A graduate of Sciences Po Paris and INSEAD's MBA program, and an engineer by training.
After an international career, he is committed to socio-political change in Tunisia.
Article originally published in La Sultane #48 in 2019
